Inside the quirky procedures and protocols of the secretive conclave, with Thomas Reese, S.J.

The choice of a papal name is said to be the new pope’s first important decision.

In Pope John Paul II’s rules for the conclave, excommunication was always a possibility, but Pope Benedict XVI made it explicit, saying they must observe “absolute and perpetual secrecy.”

“Whoever follows Francis must take up the legacy of Vatican II and of Pope Francis and engage the world without fear because we have the Gospel,” Cardinal Reina said in an interview the Gerard O’Connell.

“I become agitated when they say it’s time for an American, it’s time for an African, it’s time for a South Islander. I think that is so stupid. It’s time for the successor of Peter for 2025. The priority is evangelization.”

Whoever is elected as the next pope, one thing is certain: The church does not belong to him.